Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service (DFRS) has unveiled a soft toy learning aid inspired by retired Fire Investigation Dog Dexter that will help educate more than 13,000 school children a year about fire safety in the home.
Launched on Wednesday 5th July, the new Dexter Dog will form part of DFRS’ ongoing education package to engage year two students in a fun and interactive way.
Hundreds of these experiential learning aids will be delivered to schools across Derby City and Derbyshire County, with each year two class set to receive their own before the start of the start of the 2023/24 school year.
They will be issued by the Service alongside an accompanying worksheet which will encourage children to work with Dexter as they test their smoke alarms, practice stop drop and roll and learn about how to make an escape plan in their home.
Risk Reduction Manager Kay Simcox said: “I am really excited to see this project come to fruition, and I cannot wait to see how the children respond to this new initiative. The Prevention Team at DFRS are always trying to come up with new and innovative ways to promote fire safety messages and I believe the Dexter Dog will excite and encourage the children to ensure their home is safe from fire.”
The Dexter experiential learning aids are based on former Fire Investigation Dog Dexter who worked with handler Dave Coss across Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire before hanging up his boots earlier this year.
Jonathan Norris, spokesperson for the sponsors Solvay, said: “We are pleased to be continuing our sponsorship support with DFRS. We see the work they do as highly valuable and the school programs they run to teach children about fire safety as life saving.”
If your school is yet to request their Dexter Dog, please email ksimcox @ derbys-fire.gov.uk before the end of the current school year to ensure delivery for September 2023.